Jenny MacPherson and Lucy Rogers talk to Nicola Cutcher
Stoats, Weasels, Martens and Polecats
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Creative Hub
These bright-eyed assassins of the British countryside, part of the mustelid family, lead extraordinary lives: some in total seclusion, some in large, related groups. The zoologist and the science communicator discuss these fascinating small mammals.
Dr Jenny MacPherson is principal scientist for the Vincent Wildlife Trust. She has authored a book on mustelids for the New Naturalist Library and covers the animals’ physiology, daily lives and distribution, as well as their significance in UK history and folklore. VWT’s Chief Executive, Lucy Rogers leads the VWT team and drives the development and implementation of VWT's strategy to conserve threatened mammals through evidence-led conservation work. In conversation with journalist, writer and filmmaker, Nicola Cutcher.
Delve into the world of silence as poet Gillian Clarke discusses her poems themed around the voices that are heard when we’re quiet. The Silence, Clarke’s latest collection, began during lockdown, and her poems cover topics including her mother and childhood, the Great War and its aftermaths, and the rituals which make that world come into focus.
Clarke was National Poet of Wales from 2008 until 2016, awarded the Queen’s Gold medal for Poetry in 2010 and the Wilfred Owen Award in 2012. Her work has been on the GCSE and A Level exam syllabus for over 30 years, and she performs her poetry regularly for student audiences at Poetry Live.
In the small village of Alcarràs in Catalonia, the peach farmers of the Solé family spend every summer together picking fruit from their orchard. But when new plans arise to install solar panels and cut down trees, the members of this tight-knit group suddenly face eviction – and the loss of far more than their home.
Winner of the Golden Bear at Berlinale, the sophomore film from Carla Simón (Summer 1993) is a sun-dappled, deeply moving ensemble portrait of the countryside and a community’s unbreakable bonds.
“Superb… enthralling. Proof that fiction is sometimes the most powerful way to uncover the truth” – The Telegraph
Join Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman from Oxford’s Taste Tibet for a culinary tour of the Himalayas – a chance to learn about a unique cuisine and culture. In this demo event, they’ll take us on a rolling tasting journey. Enjoy a welcome drink (non-alcoholic), two courses of Tibetan food and a dessert truffle. Please let us know of any dietary requirements when booking, though please note that dairy and gluten lie at the heart of Tibetan cuisine.
A seasoned nomad who grew up on the Tibetan plateau, Yeshi helps forge a greater understanding of Tibetan culture through his food. When he was 19, he walked across the Himalayas to northern India, where he later met Julie. Together they’ve created a business and a cookbook (Taste Tibet) that connect people with the culture of Tibet through its delicious food, from hand-pulled noodles to momo dumplings.
If you have any dietary requirements, please email tastetibet@gmail.com
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Before comedian Chris McCausland wowed audiences on Strictly Come Dancing, he spent years honing his stand-up skills and appearing on some of the UK’s best-loved panel shows, from Have I Got News for You to The Last Leg.
And yet, he’s still often called an ‘overnight success’, despite being on the stand-up scene for years. Join McCausland for a masterclass in stand-up comedy, one that has been yonks in the making!
16+ years
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Is going to Mars humanity’s next moonshot or a massive and expensive waste of time and resources?
This unique event – a science comedy fashion show – sees New York Times bestselling authors Cat Bohannon and Dr Kelly Weinersmith discuss what it really means to live on Mars, and how women who might give birth and raise children on the planet might be affected.
The academics present a fashion show of new wearables they’ve designed in collaboration with prominent feminist artists. Using the latest cutting-edge scientific research, they model what pregnant and postpartum bodies might really need to make it on Mars.
Bohannon’s Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution was Foyle’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2023, and Weinersmith’s A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? won the 2024 Royal Society Science Book Prize.
Funk it up to the unique sound of North Yorkshire’s only contemporary New Orleans-inspired brass band. Their energetic and interactive performance style has wowed audiences at Glastonbury, Notting Hill Carnival and Rio de Janeiro, and their music packs a powerful punch.
From full-on party, pop, reggae, ska and funk to thrilling New Orleans jazz, these guys use their arsenal of percussion, sax, trumpets, trombones and sousaphone to really fire up the party!
At a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability and morality of the economic system, John Cassidy adopts a bold new approach: he tells the story of capitalism through the eyes of its critics. From colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence, he offers a kaleidoscopic history of global capitalism and a lively exploration of economic theories.
In conversation with Jennifer Nadel, co-founder of think tank Compassion in Politics, he looks again at familiar figures – Smith, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi – but also at many less well known, such as Flora Tristan, the French proponent of a universal labour union; John Hobson, the original theorist of imperialism; and JC Kumarappa, the Indian exponent of Gandhian economics. Cassidy is a staff writer on The New Yorker and author of How Markets Fail, a Pulitzer finalist.
Take the guesswork out of great wine with Noble Rot’s Dan Keeling in this exciting tasting event. Learn from the expert as he takes us on a tour of new vineyards and the groundbreaking wine-makers of today.
Wine can be daunting without an incisive guide, but Keeling is here to share lessons from his book Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti? Update your wine knowledge, get new ideas about what to drink and learn all about the stories that are corked into every bottle, from the country’s most exciting wine writer and merchant.
Keeling is editor and co-founder of Noble Rot magazine, and co-owner of their three eponymous London restaurants, which have won Wine List of the Year at the World Restaurant Awards and the National Restaurant Awards an unprecedented five times.
A dynamic evening of performance and poetry from three of the resident artists at the Roundhouse, one of London’s most iconic music and arts venues.
Daze Hingorani is a queer choreographer and poet, currently working as a Resident Artist at the Roundhouse and in association with Sadler’s Wells. Maureen Onwunali is a Dublin-born Nigerian published poet and a two-time national slam champion. Zakariye is a poet, playwright and filmmaker whose work often explores masculinity, faith and identity.
The Roundhouse Resident Artist programme is a year-long creative and professional development programme which supports outstanding emerging artists across a range of disciplines to build sustainable careers in the creative industries.
Father Richard: Silent Film with Live Organ Accompaniment
Nosferatu
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St Mary’s Church
Father Richard Williams, organist, composer and former parish priest of St Mary’s Church in Hay, performs his stunning live accompaniment to FW Murnau’s classic, silent Dracula film Nosferatu, using the church’s outstanding Bevington organ.
Released in 1922, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror) is a German Expressionist adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Max Schreck as the vampire. Unauthorised by Stoker’s heirs, the filmmakers at the time were sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered all copies to be destroyed. However, with a few prints surviving, it went on to be regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema. The film’s original music by composer Hans Erdmann was lost and never recovered.
Enter: Father Williams, bringing one of cinema’s forgotten classics to life in the atmospheric setting of St Mary’s Church. A moody evening of gothic horror to bring us into a weekend of wonders.
Duration: 1 hour 28 minutes with 20-minute interval
Join Vincent Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Team for an evening walk to look for bats and other nocturnal mammals. Bat detectors will allow us to listen out for the bats as they fly around, hunting for insects, and thermal imaging cameras will enable us to look for mammals in the dark.
The Trust’s Bat Programme Manager Daniel Hargreaves will tell us about all things bat, while Carnivore Programme Manager Dr Steve Carter will introduce the Trust’s work to conserve threatened carnivores, including pine martens, which are now returning to the Wye Valley after a hundred-year absence.
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The route will include some inclines and uneven paths. Please wear appropriate footwear and outdoor gear. We recommend that you wrap up warm and bring a torch.
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Start your day with an hour of movement and breathwork. Our daily yoga classes are brought to you by a collective of highly skilled practitioners, all local to Hay-on-Wye. Each practitioner has their own style, but whichever class you attend, you can expect a mindful, student-focused practice with clear cueing and functional sequencing. Blending movement, mantra, meditation and breathwork, the classes support detoxification and regeneration – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, these yoga classes are open and accessible to all. Practitioners will adapt to different levels of experience, providing options for deepening or softening within poses so that each student takes what they need from the practice.
Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Yoga mats are provided.
Please contact Clare Fry at hello@larchwoodstudio.com with any questions relating to these classes. As capacity is limited, we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, and alert your practitioner at the start of class if you have any injuries.
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Come to Andrew Giles’ farm with local vet Barney Sampson and agronomist Jonathon Harrington to see how his herd of dairy cows produce most of their milk from grass. You can enter the milking parlour and help to milk some of the cows. Learn how the cows are fed and find out how their four stomachs enable them to digest grass. You can taste samples of the dairy products, and a local cheese maker will explain the art and science beneath the rind.
With thanks to Andrew Giles for welcoming us to his farm.
Please wear walking boots or wellies and waterproof clothing in case of inclement weather. These are visits to real working farms and are suitable for anyone interested in learning more about food and farming. Families are welcome but children must be supervised at all times.
Broadcaster Jeremy Bowen shares insights into the Middle East and Ukraine, and looks at the increasing global instability. Bowen, who is the BBC’s International Editor and has reported from the war on Palestine, brings his wealth of experience from reporting across the world to the conversation, offering nuanced views on current conflicts, political figures and economic realities.
Bowen is a seasoned war correspondent. His podcast Our Man in the Middle East sees him journey through the region and its history, meeting ordinary men and women on the front line, and exploring the power games that have often wreaked devastation on civilian populations.
Join him to take a look at how the world is changing, what this new era of global instability means to societies across the world, and the things we need to grapple with – from changes in political leadership to new types of warfare – to understand the world today.
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Start the day at Hay Festival with headline guests chaired by editors from The Independent reviewing the news, discussing the headlines and issues of the day, and revealing what’s breaking and trending online. A fascinating look at what’s tickling the nation’s fancy – and driving it to splenetic fury. Bring your coffee!
Among today’s guests are philosopher AC Grayling, founder and principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and former BBC North America editor Jon Sopel, author of Strangeland.
Guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park lead a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye. Learn more about Hay-on-Wye’s iconic ancient and veteran trees.
Hay-on-Wye is located within 520 square miles of beautiful landscape that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work and its treasured landscape.
Please wear appropriate footwear and outdoor gear.
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Watch a selection of short films, curated by MUBI, throughout the day. The day’s schedule will be listed each morning at the venue – pop along and take a look.
Return to Wonderland with Anna James (author of the Pages & Co series) as she presents her enchanted new tale, Alice with a Why. This interactive event features Mad Hatters, White Rabbits and some brand new faces, too, in a celebration of Lewis Carroll’s beloved original as it marks its 160th anniversary year.
Alyce – with a Y – lives with her grandmother, the original Alice, having lost her father during the great war. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realises her grandmother’s strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all. But the land Alyce finds herself in feels different to the Wonderland of her grandmother’s stories – how can she find her way back home?
“Everyone’s favourite pantomime dame,” (according to Metro) is heading to Hay Festival to celebrate her first picture book. Influenced by a childhood seeing pantos, Oh Yes I Am! explores the magic of pantomime and how it can make the world a brighter place. Join award-winning panto professional Mama G for an hour of panto fun, find out what it takes to be a panto dame, discover panto’s weird and wacky history, hear some really bad jokes and share your sparkle and shine with everyone!
Get your Hay day off to a brilliant start with our daily Ready, Steady, Music workshops! With different activities each day, these interactive, fun-filled sessions for mini musicians and their grown-ups will have you tapping sticks, roaring like dinosaurs, flying with unicorns, dancing with scarves, playing with parachutes and so much more. Come and meet our puppets, explore our range of instruments and listen to the beautiful sound of the cello.
Captivating young imaginations and creating lasting memories, these sessions offer a unique musical adventure. The perfect way to boost wellbeing, increase confidence, spark creativity and introduce children to the joy of music.
Family, 0–4 years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
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Supported by funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England
An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative in these interactive sessions delivered by artists and discover that your imagination is the only limit.
Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.
Guided Tour and Continental Breakfast with Tom True
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Hay Castle
Battles, borders, books and breakfast! Come and explore Hay Castle with its director Tom True, who will introduce the history and invite you to get to know some of the characters from the castle’s past. He’ll also talk about running Hay Castle for the past three years.
Coffee and pastry included in the ticket price. Meet in the Great Hall.
20th Century Welsh Artists Exhibition & Hay Castle Entry Ticket
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Hay Castle
Legend has it that Hay Castle was built in a day by a giantess called Matilda who hurled a stone across the Wye at the end of construction. Find out about this story and more with this entry ticket that also allows you to visit the castle as many times as you like for a year. Explore Matilda’s room, the castle’s costumes and cellars, and the Richard Booth Archive, and make your way right to the top for amazing views from the viewing platform.
This ticket allows you to visit the Castle at a time of your choice on the day selected, and also gives you entry into the 20th Century Welsh Artists exhibition on the second floor.
Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven.
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.
4+ years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
Join us for an exclusive guided tour led by one of our passionate volunteer guides during Hay Festival 2025. Our knowledgeable guides will take you on a captivating journey through the castle, revealing tales of medieval knights, royal intrigue and the castle’s remarkable restoration. As you explore the castle you’ll gain unique insights into the lives of those who once called this place home. The tour also offers breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, providing the perfect backdrop for your visit.
Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: 20th Century Welsh Artists.
Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven.
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.
4+ years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
Step into the story with now>press>play! In between events, try out this immersive audio adventure for all the family. Hear every sound, move with the action and feel the magic of storytelling come alive around you.
Your Mum’s flowers are wilting in the summer sun and you’re too hot to water them. There’s a strange clock on the wall that doesn’t tell the time, but instead tells what season it is. Surely if you could change the hand to winter, then it wouldn’t be so hot? But be careful what you wish for!
The hopes, frustrations, loves and fears of soldiers – many of them first-timers – are shared by historian Max Hastings in his vivid recounting of the actions of three divisions on and around a single British beach.
Taking in their interminable years of training in England, through to triumphs and tragedies on the beach and beyond, Hastings shares how his decades of study, veterans’ interviews and new archive research led him to write Sword: D-Day – Trial by Battle. With personal portraits and searching analysis, Hastings changes the way we look at and understand D-Day.
Hastings has written over 30 books, and during his time as a correspondent reported on conflicts including the Vietnam War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Falklands War.
Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer’s Iliad in the Fight for a Dying World
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Discovery Stage
Through her unprecedented reading of Homer’s Iliad, a story thousands of years old, award-winning classicist Edith Hall helps us understand the history of the ecological disaster that threatens our planet.
The roots of today’s environmental catastrophe run deep into humanity’s past, and Hall looks at how – under the story of war and its effects – the Iliad documents the environmental practices of the ancient Greeks and betrays an awareness of the dangers posed by the destruction of the natural landscape.
Hall argues the Iliad can inspire activism to rescue our planet from disaster in this eye-opening event, after which you’ll never view the classic Greek tale the same way again.
Hall is a professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University. She has written over 30 books, including most recently Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me.
Award-winning author Tash Aw introduces his new novel The South, the first in an extraordinary quartet exploring the lives of a family navigating huge changes in the world. The South follows Jay as he travels south to rural Malaysia with his family, there working on the land and forming a charged connection with Chuan, the son of the farm’s manager.
Aw discusses his sweeping and intimate novel, writing a reimagined epic for our times, and how his own experiences influenced the book. He is author of four novels, including We, the Survivors and a memoir of a Chinese-Malaysian family, Strangers on a Pier. His work has won the Whitbread and Commonwealth Prizes and twice been longlisted for the Booker Prize.
